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Grammar and Linguistics > A Comma or a Semi colon before However!!!!
A Comma or a Semi colon before However!!!!
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Nebal
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A Comma or a Semi colon before However!!!!
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Hello dear teachers,
Here is another grammatical wonder I came across. Please, read the examples carefully and give me your opinions. Do you agree or disagree with the use of the comma in the second example???
A semicolon, rather than a comma, should be used to link these two complete sentences:
* "We were supposed to go to the dance last night; however, it was cancelled because of lack of interest."
This is CORRECT.
It should be noted that there ARE situations in which you can use a comma instead of a semi-colon:
* "The match at Wimbledon, however, continued despite the bad weather."
This is CORRECT.
There is only one complete sentence in this example. It is not a compound sentence.
Thanks in advance!!
Nebal  |
5 Jan 2010
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serene
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Hello Nebal,
I agree with the use of commas in the second sentence. In this case however connects this sentence to the previous one, which could be e.g. As soon as the match started, it began to rain. The match at Wimbledon, however, continued despite the bad weather.
Hugs
serene |
5 Jan 2010
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aquarius_gr
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Semicolon in the first is acceptable as would a period. Definitely NOT a comma.
In the second, comma is the only way. Otherwise However should be in the beginning followed by comma.
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5 Jan 2010
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Carla Horne
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Hi,
Your first sentence is correct because "however" is working as a conjunctive adverb joining two sentences to make a compound sentence.
The pattern is as follows: SENTENCE ; HOWEVER , NEXT SENTENCE
In the second sentence, "however" is an interrupter that gives style to writing.
I hope this helps.
Carla |
5 Jan 2010
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lizsantiago
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HOWEVER IS A CONJUNCTIVE ADVERB SO
The following rules are considered to be correct punctuation for conjunctive adverbs:
- Use a semicolon or period before the conjunctive adverb to separate two independent clauses joined by a conjunctive adverb. A conjunctive adverb is not strong enough to join two independent clauses without the aid of a semicolon.
- Use a comma following the conjunctive adverb when it appears at the beginning of the second clause unless the adverb is one syllable.[2]
Like other adverbs, conjunctive adverbs may move around in the clause (or sentence) in which they appear. When they appear at the end of the clause, they are preceded by a comma. If they appear in the middle of the clause, they are normally enclosed in commas, though this rule is not absolute and is not always applied to very short clauses. |
5 Jan 2010
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Carla Horne
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Dear Ladybird,
You are right that you could use a period and then put a comma after the "However" that begins the second sentence. Your sentence below is what I �m referring to.
Dora intended to write Samuel a letter. However, she fell asleep.
Lizsantiago said it very well in her explanation. Because you can write so many different ways, is one reason why I love English. It �s like a logic game without the numbers!
Carla
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6 Jan 2010
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